Bees Are Here!!!!

 I don't know if you can see them but there are honey bees all over my corn! I was out in the garden this morning and heard a strange noise that I couldn't quite figure out. I'd heard it before but it has been so long ago. Then I saw them. Lots and lots of honey bees! I had to look close but there are a lot of them. All over the corn tassels. I am so happy to see them again. It's been several years. It used to sound like New York City while I would be picking beans from all the bees in the corn. I guess they were just waiting for the corn to tassel. I am going to plant some more corn this week, just for the bees. I love honey bees. And I was so worried that the GMO corn across the road had run them off. But they are here again. Sweet beautiful bees!

 I love to hear the buzzing the bees make when they are happy. And their little legs are just full of corn pollen. I wish I knew where their hive was. They are just the most amazing of God's creatures. So complex yet so simple. And we could not live without them, I believe. They give us so much. Sweet wonderful honey and so much food. They are just amazing.

There are lots of bumble bees and yellow jackets and wasps all over. But haven't even really seen too many of those. They used to buzz all around the fallen old apples on the ground. But I have been picking those up and either giving the really bad ones to the chickens or the not so bad ones to the sheep. They love apples now. They will not climb the apple trees like the goats do. They wai patiently every morning for me to give them their apples. Such sweet sheep.

More Sheep, Chickens and a Dog

 These are the boys. Abraham in the front, Alfie in the middle and Axel standing, guarding the chickens. They are so big. They were all born in March. Alfie and Axel are more of a hair sheep and Abraham is a Finn. He's so handsome. And the friendliest one of the whole bunch of lambs. I may keep him to use for breeding Lucinda and the ewe lambs in the fall.

Axel and Abraham.

 The chicken yard. It's pretty big.  They have plenty of room to roam. The bottom picture is the back so it is an L-shaped yard. They have eaten every blade of grass in there though. When I mow I will put the bagger on and throw that grass in for them. They love it.

 The 2 new Americana chicks. They still won't go out/ Here they are behind the cage, safe from the mean ole big chickens. It's the darker little one that is being bullied. Hopefully that will stop soon.

 And here is Stella Bella Luna. She comes in with me to see her sheep. I will keep her with me when I come into the ram yard. They are young and nice right now, but they will not stay that way. And there are 3 of them and only one of me. So she will help keep them back away from me when the time comes. She loves her sheep. And they tolerate her. I need to learn some sheep herding commands for her. She knows "back"  and "out" and "that'll be all". I learned that from Jenna at www.coldantler. She's a good dog.

South Garden

 This is a shot of the South garden, again looking at Pigeon Mt in the background. Such a beautiful view. The sheep pasture is beyond the garden to the right.

 And this garden gets watered. I soaked it good last night and also fertilized with manure tea. So hopefully it will revive. I am picking some squash but not many yet.

 These are some purple peppers. They are so pretty.

 And some yellow peppers. Yes, they are supposed to be yellow!

 And a beautiful patch of my favorite flowers, zinnias. Love them! You just can't have too many of these around.

 These are Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. The best ever cherry tomato. SO GOOD!

 Poor tomato plants. They are do needing a good rain. But full of tomatoes. And they are amazing and juicy!

 Some of my grapes. And talk about good! Yum! And seedless too.

And of course have to get my sheep in here somehow. Lucinda is up at the house in the shade so she didn't get in this picture.